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Monday, April 24, 2017

Swimsuit Shopping With No Angst??? It Happened!

We are planning another trip to Orlando; hey, why not - we all still have our annual passes to Universal Studios, and now that we've done it up big, we can be a little more casual with less eating out and spending money on wands and stuff. We'll be staying at the Cabana Bay resort once again, because we really liked it, plus our room has a little kitchen, so we're planning on having most breakfast and lunch meals with food we bring; except for all things Butterbeer and dinner out, we should do a decent job of not coming back with too many extra vacation pounds. But the best part about staying at Cabana Bay is that they have a lazy river and a huge pool, and considering that we'll be in Florida when the weather will be in the 90 degree range, that's going to get a lot of use.

Since I plan on spending a lot of time in the pool, I needed to get a swimsuit. Yes, it's a little early to buy one, but previous experience has shown me that if I don't start looking while the stores are full of options, well, my options will be pretty limited. So I started looking online, and ended up ordering a bunch of tops, bottoms, and one-pieces from both JC Penney and Land's End. Free shipping, easy returns, and a credit card sure makes for some easy purchases - plus I could try on everything in my own home instead of getting all hot and sweaty in a store dressing room.

Now, I didn't have a lot of hope when I was picking out suits - honestly, I was just looking for something that would work so I could cool down in Florida. I was mostly interested in tankini-type suits, with different bottoms (boy shorts, skirts, etc) and I ended up being pretty surprised by what I was seeing - there were a lot more options than the last time I really shopped for a swimsuit, which was over five years ago. There were tankinis with a loose, blouson shape, and some that looked like you were wearing a cute sports bra with a tank top over it. Seeing as I am never happy with how my stomach looks (this holds true for when I was at my thinnest - my stomach never went back to the flatness of my youth, unfortunately), I was intrigued by the possibility of getting a suit that wasn't tight on my belly.

My first shipment arrived, and I took a deep breath, steeled myself for the worst, and tried on a top and bottom. You know what? I didn't hate it. I did not hate how I looked in that swimsuit. If you knew how amazing that was, well...actually, I suspect most of you do, because trying on swimsuits is not for sissies. But it was OK. I could have gone with the first thing I tried on, miracle of miracles. Emboldened, I went to the mall and tried on some other suits while I was waiting for the rest of my order to arrive, and I came home with a pair of high-waisted swim shorts that I absolutely love, so at that point, all I needed was a top.

Diane happened to be over when the UPS truck arrived bearing a huge bag of swimwear and I had a little try on session so she could help me decide. She was pretty funny - some of the suits I'd chosen (because I was casting a pretty wide net) were rejected immediately - she was all "you're not even going to try this one on, it's too old lady" - and she was right. Like I said earlier, I didn't have high hopes of anything looking good, so I put a lot of different suits in my cart. This is what I ended up choosing:

Not me, obviously. It has a T-strap in the back that's pretty cute.

The bonus was that I only paid $22 for this after some online discounts, so that was pretty sweet, and it leaves me some extra money to find a cover up, woohoo!

The question now is, why did I feel OK about these suits? My body hasn't miraculously changed shape or size recently. I haven't been consciously doing any positive mantras toward body acceptance. My legs are still large and in charge, as is my stomach. But maybe all the running has firmed things up a tiny bit? Or maybe all the running has made me appreciate my body more for what it can do, and I'm not so focused on looking like a beach babe in a swimsuit - sadly that ship sailed while I was a teenager (and I didn't appreciate that body while I had it). So I don't know, except that this was a new and, dare I say it, GOOD experience. And that hasn't happened very often for me when it comes to swimsuits. I'll gladly accept it.

19 comments:

I was looking at suits at Athleta and noticed the looser fitting blousy tops there too. Can it be that swimsuit makers are actually thinking about all women now? I also like that I can buy separates instead of a whole suit. It's nice to have suits you don't mind wearing.

Athleta was on my list to order from if nothing worked in my first round - they have some pretty cute styles, and yes, it IS nice that the manufacturers are recognizing that not everyone wants to wear a traditional swimsuit these days.

I'm glad you had a good experience trying on swim suits. The one you chose is cute. I haven't bought a new suit in years because like you, I hate the process. Oh, and I definitely don't think it's too early for swim suits. We had them in stores here back in February so I assumed in a place like Texas that they would be out all year long!

Store dressing rooms are the WORST for trying on swimwear. I swear the fluorescent lighting just exaggerates every single wring, sag, cellulite, and flaw. It's horrible. I actually found 2 suit at Tarjay believe it or not. But you know what? I didn't try them on there, I bought a bunch tried them at home and returned what I didn't want. I swear, just being comfortable trying them on helps you feel better about how they look, and like you said, much more loving and accepting of your body.

I'm happy for you!!

P.S. One of the ones I brought home I thought was the bomb-diggity: black and white, one piece that looked like a two piece, cute frilly skirted bottom. Mr. Helen said, "Uhhhhh, not for you. I picture your mom in that." Yep, that's all it took to go in the return immediately pile!

I think this is how I'll shop for swimsuits from now on - not dealing with dressing room lighting and getting overheated from being in a tiny room made for a much more pleasant experience. I had to laugh at Mr. Helen's take on your cute black and white suit...I think sometimes we focus on one aspect and don't see the entire picture of the suit, LOL.

Nice swimming suit, love it very much. I think you have accepted how you look and all your running and being so active helps accepting that. I haven't wear a swimsuit in years because I don't like how I look in them but the one you choose would be a good choice for me too.

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